AluminumAlloyBoats.com

Found the pitting after sandblasting the hull.it is located where that old red stripe is painted on the boat before it was sand blasted. It goes all around the boat except in the stern. Maybe the red stripe was a copper based paint I dunno, anyways the surveyor didn't see it before I bought it.how should I go about trying to fix it?the sides are .3 thick and the hull is .4 I think.i can post close up picture of the pitting in a few days as the boat is not at my house.was thinking about sandblasting the pits real good using alumibrite then painting?the pits don't look too deep, please help my first aluminum boat!

Boat was built on knapp island in 1993 the guys who built the boat are now known as Armstrong boats

Most of the pitting is on the side of the boat and a little up front where the red stripe is in the picture

Seems like an opportunity to weld on a side rubrail to cover the pitted area...then no need for fenders at the low floating docks..just an idea!

Nice boat! Was the stripe bottom paint? If yes then was likely copper based. The pits weren't there before the blasting so they would have been tough to detect though there may have been some bubbling or puffiness in the paint that would have indicated some issues. Not really a huge problem on a stout hull like that though and they can be successfully filled with an epoxy fairing compound, barrier coated and repainted with no long term ill effects. Give the area another quick brightening blast immediately prior to your repairs and make sure there is no residue or grit in the pitted areas.

On second look it appears the pitting is above the waterline?

I may have owned this boat some years ago. Bought it in Anacortes, kept it for a little while, and sold it to a man in Sidney so we could purchase a larger boat. Does the seat have a hydraulic ram to move it fore and aft? Also wondering if anyone put trim tabs on the boat? Wish I could remember what the paint was. Seems to me it was either unpainted, or plain bottom paint. We used it in fresh water, and stored it on the trailer. I wil llook for pictures, but don't remember seeing any around here. Great little boat. The owner after me was going to use it as a commuter between Sidney and "Piers"'? Island. It was affectionally called "The Nappy" by us.

Let me know if you decide to sell it, as it would make a fun restoration project for old times sake.

What should I use for a epoxy fairing compound and also what should I use for a barrier coat?thanks so much for your help as I am new to this but will learn as I go with a little help.

Yes it's your old boat! I bought it from the guy in Sidney who used it as a commuter I'm turning it into a fishing machine

And no trim tabs on the boat did it need some really badly? I only took it for a few test drives,once in 40 knot winds and it performed like a champ.it bows has a 2006 suzuki 200hp 4stroke on it and the hydraulic seat is still intact. it hasn't been maintained very well over the years so I'm bringing her back to life

Let me know if you got my reply to your PM.

Babyj wrote:What should I use for a epoxy fairing compound and also what should I use for a barrier coat?thanks so much for your help as I am new to this but will learn as I go with a little help.

Here's a couple you can get through a boat supply store. There are other brands like Jotun that are excellent but not easy to source.

Still not sure I understand . . . is the pitting above or below the natural waterline?

http://www.pettitpaint.com/product.asp?id=243

http://www.yachtpaint.com/usa/diy/produ ... rtite.aspx

It's right on the water line about above and below

so . . . is the plan to leave the bottom bare and paint the pitted zone as a bootstripe or put on bottom paint and run that up high enough to cover the pitted area or . . .

Yes the plan is to leave the bottom bare and paint a boot stripe

What would you recommend for a barrier coat after using the epoxy fairing compound

This is appropriate

http://www.pettitpaint.com/product.asp?id=80

The epoxy fairing compound asks for a coat of Pettit Protect 4700/4701 Gray before using it,can i use the barrier coat you recommend under the fairing compound or should I use Pettit Protect 4700/4701 Gray then the fairing compound then the barrier coat you recommended I'm very new to all this looks like ill be asking you a lot of questions hope you don't mind and of course thank you very much

Make sure the bare metal including the pits are either freshly blasted or acid etched and neutralized immediately prior to initial application of the barrier coat. The 4400 would serve the same purpose as the 4700 and its a better corrosion inhibitor than the 4700. The reason they call for the barrier coat first is that it will adhere better to the pits in the bare aluminum than the fairing compound would and conversely the fairing compound will adhere very well to the barrier coat that they recommend applying first. When you fair (sand & flatten) the hardened fairing compound you will likely sand through the first layer of 4400 in spots but it doesn't matter as you will be re-coating everything with the 4400 prior to applying your bootstripe enamel. Its a good idea to clean the last dried coat of 4400 with a weak solution of plain ammonia & water then (when dry) lightly sand before applying the bootstripe paint. You can do it!

I finally understand exactly what I have to do and what I have to use thank you very much I think I'm going to wait a few weeks to a month before I start this because the minimum temperature for the paint and other stuff is 50f or 10c in my case but got lots of other stuff to do on the boat and trailer anyways thanks again

Your welcome, keep us up to date on your fix-up process

I will I'm going to start a thread I think